As gravely familiar scenes of wildfires ravage the West Coast, the need for immediate legislative action to address climate resiliency is apparent.

According to a study from Columbia University and the First Street Foundation, tidal flooding caused by sea-level rise has cost Rhode Islanders approximately $44.7 million in relative home values between 2005 and 2017. To enable a response to climate change in Rhode Island, voters must elect legislators who recognize it as a threat.

Rep. Susan Donovan offers that opportunity. As a citizen, Rep. Donovan helped lead the fight to stop the transportation of liquefied natural gas through Narragansett and Mt. Hope Bay, and each year volunteers with Save Bristol Harbor to educate school children about watersheds, pollution and ocean trash.

As a legislator, she championed legislation for wildlife protections, sponsored bills to curb littering, lobbied against the Trump Administration’s offshore drilling initiatives, and supported recycling and composting requirements for schools.

We face a crucial juncture in the fight against climate change. We need climate resiliency advocates, not deniers, in the General Assembly.

Timothy Belliveau
Bristol